1:2400 Age of Sail: The Algeciras Campaign 1801 - Progress

Hi all,

Just to let you all know that progress is being made on this lot:

There will be painted for me by the brilliantly talented Richard Phillips!

Thanks for looking!

Peter

1:4800 Naval Warfare: Jutland 2? - Naval Thunder

Hi all,

Well we have an epic clash coming up soon in the wargames room!

The scenario - it is 1941 and the Royal Navy is worried about the massing Kriegsmarine heavy units in the Baltic. Rumours abound that Bismark and Tirpitz are going to sail together into the North Atlantic. Prinz Eugen is going to look very small next to these two...

To oppose them, we have Hood, King George V and Prince of Wales at Scapa Flow. Queen Elizabeth is at Rosyth and Repulse, Ramilles and Rodney are convoy escorting.

The plan is to run some map based campaign moves to see where an interception will take place...

Thanks for reading!

Peter

1:2400 Age of Sail: The Algeciras Campaign 1801

Hi all,

I have recently decided to go completely insane and build and rig a couple of fleets for the Napoleonic period...

Anyway, these will be for the fairly balanced (in terms of the number of ships involved) battles around Gibraltar and Algeciras in 1801.

The plan is to do the full orbat and the initial purchases are:

Rear-Admiral of the Blue Saumarez's squadron

HMS Caesar, Third rate, 80           Royal Navy          Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez

Captain Jahleel Brenton

HMS Superb, Third rate, 74           Royal Navy          Captain Richard Goodwin Keats

HMS Spencer, Third rate, 74           Royal Navy          Captain Henry Darby      

HMS Pompee, Third rate, 74           Royal Navy          Captain Charles Stirling

HMS Hannibal, Third rate, 74           Royal Navy          Captain Solomon Ferris

HMS Venerable, Third rate, 74           Royal Navy          Captain Samuel Hood    

HMS Audacious, Third rate, 74           Royal Navy          Captain Shuldham Peard              

HMS Thames, Frigate, 32           Royal Navy          Captain Aiskew Hollis     

Carlotta, Frigate, 38           Portuguese Navy             Captain Crawfurd Duncan            

HMS Calpe, Brig, 14           Royal Navy          Commander George Dundas      

Louisa, Brig, 14           Hired                     Lieutenant William Truscott        

Vice-Admiral Moreno's squadron

Real Carlos, First rate, 112         Spain     Captain Don J. Esquerra

San Hermenegildo, First rate, 112         Spain     Captain Don J. Emparran              

San Fernando, Second rate, 96           Spain     Captain Don J. Malina

Argonauta, Third rate, 80           Spain     Captain Don J. Herrera

San Agustín, Third rate, 74           Spain     Captain Don R. Jopete

Formidable, Third rate, 80           France  Captain Amable-Gilles Troude

Desaix, Third rate, 74           France  Captain Christy de la Pallière

Indomptable, Third rate, 80           France  Captain Claude Touffet

Saint Antoine, Third rate, 74           France  Commodore Julien Le Ray

Santa Sabina, Frigate, 34           Spain     Vice-Admiral Don Juan Joaquin de Moreno

                                                                  Contre-amiral Charles Linois

Muiron, Frigate, 40           France  Captain Jules-François Martinencq

Libre, Frigate, 40           France  Captain Proteau

Vautour, Lugger, 14           France  Lieutenant Kémel

Perla, Frigate, 34           Spain     Unknown

1:4800 Naval Warfare: History repeating itself - Naval Thunder

Hi all,

Well I almost could not believe it, everytime I play this scenario it ends up being a slugging match and the result (as it should have been) tends to be the defeat of the Germans.

This one did not go that way...

The Germans are sighted heading towards the open Atlantic

Hood leads the RN formation

With Prince of Wales following

Hood starts by firing some accurate shots at Prinz Eugen

Whilst PoW lands some damage on Bismark

Both Germans dastardly target the Hood

Hood quickly takes a lot of damage, and just as she hauls out of the line with crippled engines and a fire...

History repeats itself and her magazine goes up

A shocking result tbh, I can only imagine how horrible it would have been to have seen it in real life!

Thanks for reading!

Peter

1:4800 Naval Warfare: Battle of the Denmark Straight - Naval Thunder

Needed for Saturday: one opponent. Must be prepared to be used as target practice by the Royal Navy and to speak in a corny German accent!

Going back to my favourite wargaming subject this weekend, naval warfare!

Peter

1:4800 Naval Warfare: WW2 Action of Alesund - Naval Thunder with KM Gneisenau

Hi all,

Set up a game on the office carpet today after moving the furniture around- well you might as well make use of all the room!

The situation is that Gneisenau has come upon some RN units assisting in the withdrawl of army units from the coast of Norway. Scouts in the foretop have identified 2 Light Cruisers and 2 Destroyers, nothing too troubling for a pocket battleship right?

One of these cruisers has troops crammed onboard - she needs to be protected!

KM Gneisenau in 1940 - still need to add it's label!

Unknown to the Germans, the Royal Navy has some heavy support over the horizon about 40 minutes sailing away.

My absolute favourite capital ship!

Can the small ships hang on for long enough? We shall see...

Thanks for looking!

1:4800 Naval Warfare: Battle of the Denmark Straight - Naval Thunder

Hi guys,

Had my first full game of Naval Thunder yesterday. Was a blast!

This is not going to be a full report but here are some bad pics and a brief outline of the action.

HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales

Prinz Eugen and Bismarck

Hood taking the first shots of the game as she closes the range

Eugen engages Hood whilst Bismarck shifts her fire to PoW

Meanwhile both British ships pummell Bismarck

Hood and PoW have now closed the range where plunging shouldn't be a problem. Turning their broadsides to the enemy...

...and Hood splatters Prinz Eugen

Hood is suffering from fire from Bismarch and Eugen

But the Germans aren't having it all their own way

First critical hit on Bismarck but she still is dishing out the pain

Hood is suffering but she has not exploded!

An untouched PoW

And that's where we left it. Prinz Eugen was sunk, Bismarck was at around half of her hull points and Hood and Prince of Wales could concentrate all their guns on her without distraction. Hood was a bit battered but still had all of her guns.

1:4800 Naval Warfare: HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales

Here are the other main protagonists in the Battle of the Denmark Straights....I'm quietly cheering on these guys!

1:4800 Naval Warfare: Bismarck and Prinz Eugen

Hi all,

Been painting the ships for the Battle of the Denmark Straight, so here are the Germans!

Swastikas painted over as per 1941

My German Fleet so far combined

Fairly happy with how they have turned out!

Peter

1:4800 Naval Warfare: WW2 Naval Scenario off the coast of Norway - Battlecruisers off Lofoten Islands

Hi guys,

Got a game at the club this afternoon and here are the briefings for the players.

Kreigsmarine Briefing

03:37 9^th April 1940, off Lofoten.

A flotilla of ten German destroyers are heading for Narvik to land troops. The battleships Gneisenau (flagship of Fleet Commander Admiral Günther Lütjens) and Scharnhorst with the heavy cruiser Hipper are providing heavy cover.

On the 6^th Hipper was attacked and rammed by a British destroyer. This has caused her to be ordered to pull back to the south whilst you remain to cover the troop carrying destroyers from the expected British attack.

Your orders are to prevent any British Units from heading eastwards to interfere with the invasion whilst simultaneously preventing either of your ships from becoming crippled. Sinking any British units is of secondary importance.

You are steering a north westerly course at 9 knots. Weather conditions are rough, with a force 10 gale from the north west, intermittent snow squalls and heavy seas. Visibility is down to 40 inches.

Royal Navy Briefing

03:37 9^th April 1940, off Lofoten

Your fleet was moving to lay a minefield off Vestfiord between the Lofoten Islands and the mainland. Cover was being provided by the battlecruiser Renown flying the flag of Vice-Admiral William J. Whitworth with her escort of destroyers.

After receiving a fleeting message from HMS Glowworm that was dispatched to look for a man lost overboard on the 6^th that she was engaging a Pocket Battleship you have called up reinforcements to find and destroy the German ship whilst dispatching your minelaying destroyers south to continue with the original mission.

Your orders are to find and destroy the German ships, sinking more capital ships then you yourself lose. You must not allow the Germans to head too far south as they will receive friendly air cover at dawn, draw them north or west if you cannot sink them.

Your course is south east , speed 12 knots.  Weather conditions are rough, with a force 10 gale from the north west, intermittent snow squalls and heavy seas. Visibility is down to 40 inches.

Should be interesting, Renown and Repulse doing what they were designed to do and hunting German battlecruisers!

1:4800 Naval Warfare: Sharnhorst & Gneisenau

Hi all,

Progress is been made on the CinC ships! Swastikas are a total pain!!

1:4800 Naval Warfare: HMS Renown

Hi all,

Loooong time no see. Have had problems with both the internet and work! My order arrived from CinC so I've painted up a test model for my "speed painted" 1:4800 fleets.

And an overexposed photo that somehow manages to show off the shiny sea well!

What do ya think?

1:2400 Naval Warfare: Radetzky Class Pre-Dreadnoughts

Hi all,

Once again there is progress on the Austrians! This time it is the semi dreadnoughts of the Radetzky Class.

Amazing Kriegsmarine photo album find!

Hi all,

Found this great photo album for all things KuK Kriegsmarine whilst at work:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21298246@N04/sets/72157603311115259/

And for the WW1 German navy:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21298246@N04/sets/72157605907072141/


Thanks!

1:2400 Naval Warfare: Hussar class destroyers

Hi all,

Work has been quite manic so progress on my prey dreadnoughts has been slower than expected. Instead please enjoy the first of 4 destroyer squadrons for my KuK!

The Huszár class was a class of destroyers built for the Austro-HungarianNavy before the First World War. They were built to a design by the British shipbuilder Yarrow Shipbuilders, who built the first ship, with a further 11 ships being built in Austrian and Hungarian yards between 1905 and 1909.



The base has come out slightly lighter than the originals and I have to confess I don't like it as much. Ah well, plenty more to do!

Peter